


Wizarding Practices: On Wandlore And Related Topics.

by CescaLR



Series: Wizarding History, Culture, And Random Shit (Like Laws And Stuff), As Told By Ronald Billius Weasley, Hogwarts Student. [2]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Gen, Hogwarts Second Year, Wandlore (Harry Potter), Worldbuilding
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-06
Updated: 2020-09-06
Packaged: 2021-03-06 16:55:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,916
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26322262
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CescaLR/pseuds/CescaLR
Summary: Hermione reaches into her bag, and takes out a book bigger than the one on alchemy she'd been using for 'light reading' last year.
Relationships: Harry Potter & Ron Weasley & Hermione Granger
Series: Wizarding History, Culture, And Random Shit (Like Laws And Stuff), As Told By Ronald Billius Weasley, Hogwarts Student. [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1699474
Comments: 10
Kudos: 38





	Wizarding Practices: On Wandlore And Related Topics.

**Author's Note:**

> Punch Jake, Do Worldbuilding, Thank ViviTheFolle For Being Awesome, Carry On With Your Day.

This is not the first incident, but it is one of them.

Ron is only minding his buisness, eating his dinner at the Gryffindor table next to Harry and across from Hermione, when it happens. Hermione, who has had her nose in a book for most of the meal, makes a frustrated noise and turns to her left. 

Hermione reaches into her bag, and takes out a book bigger than the one on alchemy she'd been using for 'light reading' last year. She doesn't put it on the table - more, pushes her plate out of the way (disturbing Neville, to her right) and drops it onto the wooden surface with a big _slam,_ jolting some of the nearby people and causing Seamus to hit his nose with his goblet.

"Oi!" Seamus says.

"Sorry," Hermione says, not sounding very apologetic. She looks very distracted, eyes roaming the pages with lighting speed as she tries to find whatever it is she's looking for.

"What're you looking for in that?" Ron asks.

"Well," Hermione says. "I got very curious - with the way your wand has been behaving, and all, it made me realise I don't know very much about them - wands, that is. So I went to the library and I found every book in there on the subject that was available, and it's a very fascinating subject - did you know vine wood was used by the druids, thousands of years ago, and thefore is probably one of the oldest wand woods out there, even though it's not technically a tree, so it's mostly exclusive to the British Isles? Ollivander says in his book that 'their owners are nearly always those witches or wizards who seek a greater purpose, who have a vision beyond the ordinary and who frequently astound those who think they know them best. Vine wands seem strongly attracted by personalities with hidden depths, and' that they're 'more sensitive than any other when it comes to instantly detecting a prospective match.'" Hermione smiles brilliantly, a little smug, and Ron knows her wand is made of Vine, because it's a pretty distinctive wand-wood by look; they're not exactly common, but they're well known. 

"Oh... kay," Harry says. "Anything bad about it?"

"Not that Ollivander says," Hermione tells him, "he doesn't mention many negatives about wand woods in the book..."

Ron snorts. "He wouldn't," Ron says, "How's he going to sell a wand if it sounds bad? Like, 'oh, here you go, oak, but watch out! The people who own Oak wands are usually idiots and never do well at charms', he'd go out of business."

Hermione falters, slightly. 

"Any of the other books say anything bad?" Harry prods. 

"Well," Hermione says, somewhat hesitantly, and then reaches into her bag and takes out three other, much smaller tomes. "These have some things to say about vine," Hermione says. "Gi'me that one, then," Harry gestures, and Hermione hands him the thinnest volume. 

"Who's it by?" Ron asks.

"Dunno," Harry says, then checks the spine. After a moment of mild squinting, he says 'Gerbold Ollivander," He says. "Oh, right," Ron nods. 

"Ollivander's grandfather," Hermione says. 

"Right," Harry says, uninterested. "Look, here - 'Vine wands, I have found, tend to gravitate towards those with an interest in achieving higher goals - however, unlike other wand woods that favour ambition, Vine is often more attuned to those with some measure of arrogance, a tendency towards narrow-minded goal seeking; meaning, they are generally more likely to be blinded by what they wish to gain than, say, someone with a Maple wand, as those individuals find themselves more open to alternate paths and ideas...' And there's this - 'Vine wands tend to be very responsive to their perfect matches; I have heard tales, and indeed experienced the phenomenon of a Vine wood wand performing small feats of magic upon the arrival of their witch or wizard in my store - however, as useful as this is in the moment of choosing, it generally leads towards them being prone to mild accidents when near their owner but not under their control; such as shooting out sparks that set alight curtains or puffs of scented smoke that make people sneeze.'" Harry grins. 

Hermione blushes furiously. "Well," She says, and does not continue. 

"They seem like good wands, though," Ron says. "What's Ash like?" Ron takes out his wand and peers at it; the spellotape is peeling slightly, again, so he'll need to re-wrap it soon. 

"Oh, Ash is a very loyal wood -" Hermione starts, happy for the change in subject, "Very likely to bond permanently to it's first owner, and not handle a change in witch or wizard very well - here, 'The ash wand cleaves to its one true master and ought not to be passed on or gifted from the original owner, because it will lose power and skill. This tendency is extreme if the core is of unicorn... Witches and wizards best suited to ash wands are not, in my experience, lightly swayed from their beliefs or purposes. However, the brash or over-confident witch or wizard, who often insists on trying wands of this prestigious wood, will be disappointed by its effects. The ideal owner may be stubborn, and will certainly be courageous, but never crass or arrogant.'"

"Oh," Ron says, glumly, and glares at his wand. "Right then."

"Well, there you go," Harry says. "Can't do your best work if your wand doesn't work for you."

"Hmm? Oh!" Hermione blinks. "Your wand isn't -?"

"I thought I told you," Ron says - "Though, might not have. Told Harry on the train... anyway... It's Charlie's."

"Well, that's just terrible!" Hermione says. "You should really owl your parents-"

"What's Holly like?" Harry says. He flicks through his little book on the subject, before Hermione can stop frowning at him and start talking. Harry tilts his head and says; "Tendency towards angry people... impulsivity, danger-prone," Harry sighs. Ron laughs, and Harry's lips quirk up into a smile. 

"It's not _danger prone,"_ Hermione says, disparagingly. "'Holly is one of the rarer kinds of wand woods; traditionally considered protective, it works most happily for those who may need help overcoming a tendency to anger and impetuosity. At the same time, holly wands often choose owners who are engaged in some dangerous and often spiritual quest. Holly is one of those woods that varies most dramatically in performance depending on the wand core, and it is a notoriously difficult wood to team with phoenix feather, as the wood’s volatility conflicts strangely with the phoenix’s detachment. In the unusual event of such a pairing finding its ideal match, however, nothing and nobody should stand in their way.'"

"So... angry, impulsive, danger-prone," Harry says. "Like yours is - smart, arrogant, single-minded." 

Hermione glares at him. "It's not that simple," She says, sharply. "And Vine is - it's - for people who are - are -"

"Brilliant, but scary?" Ron says, grinning. Hermione's nostrils flare, and she huffs, but her mouth twitches at the corners. 

"... What's Yew?" Harry asks. 

"Yew?" Hermione frowns at him. Ginny, seated a few people down with the other first years, perks up slightly, lifts her gaze for a moment from the diary entry she's writing. 

"Uhm," Hermione looks through the book, "Well, Ollivander says... 'Yew wands are among the rarer kinds, and their ideal matches are likewise unusual, and occasionally notorious. The wand of yew is reputed to endow its possessor with the power of life and death, which might, of course, be said of all wands; and yet yew retains a particularly dark and fearsome reputation in the spheres of duelling and all curses. However, it is untrue to say (as those unlearned in wandlore often do) that those who use yew wands are more likely to be attracted to the Dark Arts than another. The witch or wizard best suited to a yew wand might equally prove a fierce protector of others. Wands hewn from these most long-lived trees have been found in the possession of heroes quite as often as of villains. Where wizards have been buried with wands of yew, the wand generally sprouts into a tree guarding the dead owner’s grave. What is certain, in my experience, is that the yew wand never chooses either a mediocre or a timid owner.'"

Ginny stiffens, then hunches further over her book, quill scratching out words faster than before. 

"Huh," Harry mutters. "Right then." He frowns, then shrugs. "Guess that makes sense."

"Why?" Hermione asks. "It's Voldemort's wand wood," Harry says. "Ollivander told me."

"Why in Merlin's name did he do that?" Ron asks. 

Harry shrugs. 

Fair. 

"Well," Harry says, "Wonder what wood would fit you, then, mate, since Charlie's is stuffed," Harry considers. He opens his book again. Ron shrugs. 

"Probably something like... Spruce?" Hermione offers, "Or - Redwood... or Red Oak..." 

"You're just in the R section," Harry says, flicking through his book. "How about - Larch? Willow? Or - Alder looks good... Willow's description is a bit mean -"

"Mean?" Hermione frowns. "In what way?"

"Backhanded," Harry says. "How's yours describe it?"

"Well," Hermione says, "It says 'Willow is an uncommon wand wood with healing power, and I have noted that the ideal owner for a willow wand often has some (usually unwarranted) insecurity, however well they may try and hide it. While many confident customers insist on trying a willow wand (attracted by their handsome appearance and well-founded reputation for enabling advanced, non-verbal magic) my willow wands have consistently selected those of greatest potential, rather than those who feel they have little to learn. It has always been a proverb in my family that he who has furthest to travel will go fastest with willow.'"

"Does seem a bit backhanded," Ron says, awkwardly.

"In what way?" Hermione says, tilting her head. "It just says - someone with good potential that's been so far unrealised, and it's good at non-verbal magic, and... perhaps a negative might be the fact that their owners are usually unreasonably insecure, but..."

"Yeah," Harry says, "Like, 'only unconfident people bond with Willow wands', Ron's right; that's no way to sell something - way to make an insecure person feel worse... uh, this Ollivander says something along those lines - 'Willow, with it's well-known tendency towards the insecure among our population, despite being quite popular for it's appearance and capabilities, is often looked down upon when in the hands of a witch or wizard upon purchase; the conundrum of selling a Willow wand is simple - many people wish to own one in _theory_ , but mistrust or look down upon the abilities of those who do. As a result, it makes up a large portion of my unsold catalogue.'" 

Ron grimaces. "Unlucky, there, then," He says. 

"Yeah," Harry says. "No kidding. 'Farthest to travel,' too, like the person who has it is a pretty shit wizard when they get it, and has a lot of work to do." Harry shakes his head. 

"Maybe it does fit me then," Ron says, with minimal humour. "I mean," Harry says, "You _did_ do non-verbal magic the other week..."

"Well," Hermione says. "What about Poplar, then?" 

"I guess," Harry says, turning to that page. 

"That's the one with the moral compass," Ron says. "There's this joke - 'No poplar wand has ever chosen a politician.'"

"Used to be true," Harry says, "Looks like it was changed when this was written," Harry taps the book he's holding. "Guess that sort of thing has to happen eventually... only so many woods in the world and all..."

Hermione huffs. 

"I dunno," Harry says. "I think Larch works." He flicks back to that page. "'Larch -'"

"Larch is 'strong, durable and warm in colour... it 'has long been valued as an attractive and powerful wand wood. Its reputation for instilling courage and confidence in the user has ensured that demand has always outstripped supply. This much sought-after wand is, however, hard to please in the matter of ideal owners, and trickier to handle than many imagine. I find that it always creates wands of hidden talents and unexpected effects, which likewise describes the master who deserves it. It is often the case that the witch or wizard who belongs to the larch wand may never realise the full extent of their considerable talents until paired with it, but that they will then make an exceptional match.'" Hermione dictates. 

"Well, that sounds backhanded too," Harry says, annoyed. "It's phrased better here... does Ollivander know how to sell things?"

"He's the best wandmaker in the country," Ron says. "You'd be stupid not to buy from him, and he knows it... think that means he doesn't have to be very nice about his descriptions, right?"

"I figure this guy was too," Harry says, "And he doesn't insult his customers as much - look, 'Larch, a strong and durable wand, has a reputation for being useful in casting powerful magic, along with boosting within the user a sense of confidence... I have found I've sold more Larch wands to Gryffindors than to any other students of Hogwarts... the wand is adaptable to the owners talents, and can perform very specific and tailored magic... however, the drawbacks of the wood in use for a wand are not minimal in nature; they are hard to please, and as a result I have paired few Larch wands to their owners in my career, and additionally they tend to be harder to control than most, but the payoff of this is that they are harder to 'turn' to another witch or wizard... and that, generally speaking, they always make an exceptional match with those they choose, helping to realise the full extent of their owners talents.'"

"Maybe..." Hermione says, dubiously. 

"Yeah, I dunno," Harry says. "Alder?"

"Hmm," Hermione muses. "Well, Ollivander says that... 'Alder is an unyielding wood, yet I have discovered that its ideal owner is not stubborn or obstinate, but often helpful, considerate and most likeable. Whereas most wand woods seek similarity in the characters of those they will best serve, alder is unusual in that it seems to desire a nature that is, if not precisely opposite to its own, then certainly of a markedly different type. When an alder wand is happily placed, it becomes a magnificent, loyal helpmate. Of all wand types, alder is best suited to non-verbal spell work, whence comes its reputation for being suitable only for the most advanced witches and wizards.'"

"Well," Harry says, "I like the sound of that."

Hermione sighs. "It's not about liking it - it's about matching it to the personality of the user..."

"Well," Harry says, stubbornly, "I think I'd know my best mate's personality, so..."

Hermione huffs. "I still think Poplar fits."

"What's that one, then?" Ron asks. 

"We said," Hermione says. "Not really," Ron says, "Give me that," He gestures, and Harry hands him the book.

"Well, Ollivander defines it as - ‘If you seek integrity, search first among the poplars,’ was a great maxim of my grandfather, Gerbold Ollivander, and my own experience of poplar wands and their owners tallies exactly with his. Here is a wand to rely upon, of consistency, strength and uniform power, always happiest when working with a witch or wizard of clear moral vision. There is a tired old joke among lesser wandmakers that no poplar wand has ever chosen a politician, but here they show their lamentable ignorance: two of the Ministry’s most accomplished Ministers for Magic, Eldritch Diggory and Evangeline Orpington, were the possessors of fine, Ollivander-made poplar wands.'" Hermione reads out. "So, I mean - you're... reliable, aren't you?" Hermione hesitates. "You know... you're a good friend."

"Thanks, Hermione," Ron says. 

"Well, you're a decent bloke, so it's got that much," Harry says. "I think - I dunno, Larch or Alder, those are what I'd go with."

"Good thing you're not a wandmaker, then," Hermione says, very sharply. " _I_ think it would be Poplar."

"Good thing _you're_ not a wandmaker, then," Harry rebukes. "Alder. Or Larch. Or both, I don't know."

"You can't make wands with two woods," Hermione says. 

"Actually," Ron flicks through to the _construction_ section of the book, "You can. It's not advised - they're harder to make, and tend to be a bit more unstable in use, you really need to know what woods will clash - like, Alder would need a wood with a different temperament, more one with an opposite one but it could work with just a somewhat different one - so... technically, you could, if you could afford it's more dangerous to make, so more expensive..."

"Given a wand's so important the money's a bit ridiculous," Harry grumbles. "You shouldn't hand 'em down, so you can't re-sell them, and the base price is 7 galleons..."

Ron sighs. It is a lot of money. 

"Well, you know," Hermione says. "It needs to be a viable business... and the economy needs to be properly maintained." 

"What do you know about economy?" Harry asks, raising an eyebrow. Hermione flushes, slightly. "A little," She says. "I read a book or two when I learnt about the exchange rate between pounds and galleons..."

"Right," Harry says, dubiously. "Okay. So, Alder, Larch, or Poplar?" He turns to Ron. 

"I dunno," Ron says. "Ollivander seems the type of bloke to give me Willow."

"Ignore him," Harry says. "I think if it had to be one, it'd be Alder."

"Why?" Ron asks. 

Harry shrugs. "I just do," He says. "Hermione?"

"Poplar," She says, firmly, "And this has really gotten off track - I was looking to see if your wand could be fixed..."

"Oh," Ron says. "And?" He asks.

Hermione sighs. "No," She admits, "So... I suppose thinking about which wood fits you is no less a waste of time..."

"Great," Harry says. "What about cores?"

"That's an entire different subject," Hermione turns to her bag and takes out a second book, slightly larger than the one already on the table, and a few smaller books; one tiny book, practically a pamphlet, and two somewhat thicker books. 

"This one is Ollivander's," Hermione says, pointing at the pamphlet. "He only uses three, so it's quite short..."

"That'll be expenses," Ron says. "Kind of a lot of money, to import some of the wand cores I've heard about, like Veela Hair. You know, since they're capable of throwing fireballs at you... they sell their hair, sometimes, but it's rare, so it's - pricey."

Harry says. "Still seems kind of boring. What are the others?" 

"An American witch," Hermione says, "Violetta Beauvais... her's are more applicable to the region, though... and obviously there's Mykew Gregorovitch, and there's a few who are lesser known - I picked up a book by Arturo Cephalopos, which talks about both woods and cores..."

Ron snorts. "What?" Hermione asks.

"Cephalopos sold 'bout two wands," He says. "Went out of business pretty quick like - he was a cheaper alternative to Ollivander's, but he was an idiot, so nobody bought what he was peddling."

"Oh," Hermione says, and quietly puts one of the books back in her bag. "Well then..." She clears her throat. "So, Ollivander's wand cores are-"

"Pheonix Fether, Unicorn Hair, Dragon Heartstring," Ron says. "Don't need to tell us that, Hermione. Pheonix Feathers are pretty good at most magic - don't really have an internal affinity, and they can sometimes do things without being told to, like casting spells or something without their owner's input. And Unincorn Hair is for healers, mostly; they're light-aligned, hard to turn to Dark Magic, good for consistency if your magic's a bit haywire. Faithful, too. Dragon Heartstring is powerful, easy to do bad stuff with - they're goot a Dark Magic - and good at big magic, less good at sublter stuff. Uh, pretty strong bonds with their current owners, but they're a bit easier to take than Unicorn Hair wands are. Most temperamental core that Ollivander sells, that's for sure."

Hermione nods, absently. "Yes, well," She looks down at her pamphlet, "That's mostly right - this doesn't say anything about healing for Unicorn Hair..."

"This does," Harry says, holding up the book he'd leant across the table to borrow. "And it says something else - if you try and do dark magic with it, you'll fail; can't cast an unforgivable with this, or at least, if you're bound to hit you can't cast it; if you miss then I guess it doesn't care... Or, well, only one person has ever been on record as casting one with it and being caught, and they turned themselves in..."

"So you _can_ do Dark Magic with it," Hermione says, "But the nature of the Unicorn being what it is, it's most likely to pick a person that wouldn't dare, or would turn themselves in if they did..."

"Seems like it," Harry says. "Well, you can put that down," He says. "What other cores are there?"

"Ollivander mentioned Kelpie Hair," Hermione says, "Supposedly makes poor quality wands..."

"Hmm," Harry says. "What does it say?"

"Well," Hermione says, "'Early in my career, as I watched my wandmaker father wrestling with substandard wand core materials such as kelpie hair', so, it's implied that it makes poor quality wands..."

"Or that it's just hard to work with," Harry considers, "And Ollivander couldn't be bothered, but wanted to _sound_ like he had a good reason..."

"I suppose," Hermione says, dubiously, "But I doubt he'd have written it down if it wasn't true... this is supposed to be instructional, after all..."

"So are half of Lockheart's books, but you don't see anyone sane taking his advice," Ron says, and Harry laughs. Hermione glares at him, a faint tinge to her cheeks. "They are very helpful books," Hermione counters, "He's saved hundreds of lives -"

"Probably ten, at best," Ron says, "By scaring people off of going out and finding trouble, but I bet you he's killed thousands with them."

Hermione scowls.

"Look at this one," Harry says. "Veela Hair, 'for someone who holds within them fiery passion', 'co-incidentally, this core tends towards fire magic, in terms of offense, and if you were to try your hand at Dark and illegal magics, Fiendfyre would perform superbly through a wand of this core... in terms of other applications, Veela Hair has perhaps a quite predictable lean towards mind-altering magics such as glamours and charms of various kinds, does decently with transfiguration, but tends to be somewhat below-average in healing - a very calm branch of magic - along with cleaning, and other mundane tasks, since Veela Hair creates a wand that appears to have some sense of superiority, and will often refuse to do spells it deems 'beneath' it's user.'"

"Well then," Ron says, "That sounds annoying."

"It's probably why Ollivander went with the cores he did," Hermione says, "Sometimes simple works best - a core with few negatives is better than a core with many."

"Guess so," Ron says. "A load of positives sounds good, though."

"It's a trade off," Hermione says.

"I know that," Ron says. "I mean, if the wand chooses you, like it does, then it matches your personality - so, if it's got weaknesses in an area, it's not likely to choose someone who'd want to use that aspect of magic, anyway. Like, a Unicorn Hair wand is bad at dark magic, but it's not going to choose someone who uses dark magic, so who cares?"

Hermione considers this. "I suppose," She says. 

The food disappears from the table, and Hermione sighs. "We'll pick this up later," She says, taking back her books and shoving them all into her bulging bag. "Transfiguration is next," She continues, and the three of them start making their way to class. 

**Author's Note:**

> aka stop making all the wandlore have hermione be even MORE of a mary sue thanks  
> \----------------------------------  
> Outtake/Omake: 
> 
> ViviTheFolleToday at 13:25  
> XD  
> Imagine, a core of goblin intestine
> 
> Cesca L.R.Today at 13:26  
> ohmygodlkajg;alkgj;alskjg
> 
> ViviTheFolleToday at 13:26  
> Everyone is horrified
> 
> Cesca L.R.Today at 13:26  
> "That's barbaric!" [ - Hermione ]  
> "Merlin, nobody does that, I said he only sold 'bout two wands!" [ - Ron ]
> 
> ViviTheFolleToday at 13:26  
> The book is like "makes the best wands trust me ok"
> 
> Cesca L.R.Today at 13:26  
> hahaha  
> "I find goblin intestine to make a wand of sure strength, a solid core of power, favouring magic of a darker nature. It tends to pair best with woods of a more flexible stock, however, quite contradictively, and in turn it prefers a wand that is shorter in length than perhaps most find to be the average - around 9 or 10 inches, from my admittedly limited - somewhat theoretical - experience with the material."  
> "somewhat theoretical" here meaning "I've never worked with it but this is what I assume haha take my word for it"
> 
> [ - About 'Wand Cores and Wand Woods: The Correct Guide To Wand Lore by Arturo Cephalopos, Expert and Acclaimed Wand Maker'. ]
> 
> (Hint: he's lying about the 'expert' and 'acclaimed' thing)


End file.
